UPDATE 1-Canada July building permits increase, break two-month slide

OTTAWA, Sept 8 (Reuters) - The value of Canadian building
permits issued in July rose by 0.8 percent from June, led by
authorizations to construct non-residential buildings,
Statistics Canada said on Thursday.

The increase was less than the 3.0 percent month-on-month
advance predicted by analysts in a Reuters poll. Permits had
dropped by 5.3 percent in June and 2.1 percent in May.

The value of permits in the residential sector dropped by
2.0 percent on lower construction intentions in five provinces,
with British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec leading the decline.

The data does not assess the effect of a recent decision by
Vancouver - the largest city in British Columbia - to introduce
a tax on foreign home buyers. Building permits do not provide
the nationality of the permit holder.

In the non-residential sector, the value of permits jumped
by 5.6 percent on higher construction intentions for medical
facilities, transportation facilities, office buildings and
retail complexes.